Posts

Online right fumes after YouTube ad crackdown
BY ALI BRELAND - 09/30/17 04:27 PM EDT
YouTube is in hot water with conservative users and
creators, with the Google-owned video giant accused of discriminating against
the right as YouTube takes ads off content that it says violates the terms of
service.
Last month, YouTube quietly made moves to remove
advertisements on certain types of content that it says is not consistent with
its terms of service. YouTube doesn’t
serve ads on demonetized videos, meaning big hits to the bottom line for
conservative YouTube personalities.
YouTube says that its efforts are aimed at cracking down
on hate speech, but conservative and right-wing video creators say they’re
frustrated by the changes.
The video streaming service began the initiative after
several major companies like Coca-Cola, Amazon and Microsoft pulled their ads
from YouTube in the spring after the Times of London noticed that advertisements
for their brands appeared alongside videos o…

IBM Now Has More Employees in India Than in the U.S.
IBM has shifted its center of gravity halfway around the
world to India, making it a high-tech example of the globalization trends that
the Trump administration has railed against.
By VINDU GOEL SEPT. 28, 2017
BANGALORE, India — IBM dominated the early decades of
computing with inventions like the mainframe and the floppy disk. Its offices
and factories, stretching from upstate New York to Silicon Valley, were hubs of
American innovation long before Microsoft or Google came along.
But over the last decade, IBM has shifted its center of
gravity halfway around the world to India, making it a high-tech example of the
globalization trends that the Trump administration has railed against.
Today, the company employs 130,000 people in India —
about one-third of its total work force, and more than in any other country.
Their work spans the entire gamut of IBM’s businesses, from managing the
computing needs of global giants like AT&T an…

Elon Musk’s Plan to Girdle Earth With Satellites Hits
Turbulence
FCC to defer on constellations of thousands of satellites
International role seen possibly limiting power for
SpaceX
By Alistair Barr
and Todd Shields September 26, 2017, 1:00 AM PDT September 26, 2017,
8:29 AM PDT
Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to surround the Earth with
thousands of internet-beaming satellites is encountering turbulence from
regulators concerned about interference with competing systems.
SpaceX, the rocket startup Musk runs, filed for
permission for its constellation of refrigerator-sized satellites late last
year. Selling broadband from orbit is a key part of how SpaceX plans to make
money beyond its original rocket-launching service.
But the U.S. Federal Communications Commission dealt the
project a setback Tuesday with a decision that could force power reductions on
SpaceX satellites, and potentially limit the spectrum they can use, making them
less effective.
The regulator on a 5-0 vote decided to d…

Driverless hover-taxi makes first 'concept' flight in
Dubai
September 25, 2017
Dubai has edged closer to its goal of launching a
pioneering hover-taxi service, with the authorities announcing a successful
"concept" flight was made on Monday without passengers.
Safety features for the two-seater air taxi include
emergency parachutes and nine independent battery systems, according to Dubai's
Road and Transport Authority (RTA).
It said the prototype, supplied by Germany-based
Volocopter, can fly for 30 minutes at a maximum speed of 100 kilometres per
hour (62mph).
The RTA envisions that the hover-taxi will eventually be
integrated into the city's existing public transport network, which includes a
metro system, tramway and buses.
Passengers would be able to book their "autonomous
air taxi" and track its arrival and route using an app.
Authorities anticipate five years of testing to put in
place safety procedures and legislation governing the cutting-e…

How to Regulate Facebook Like a Broadcaster
By Jeff John Roberts Sep 25, 2017
Russian agents paid to promote thousands of Facebook
accounts in a bid to poison the U.S. political system with propaganda and fake
news. It's no surprise, then, that some in Congress are calling for Facebook to
be subject to television's "Stand by Your Ad" rules, which require
political ads to identify who is behind them.
The proposal is promising but just scrapes the surface of
a larger question: How should the government apply TV-era rules to Facebook,
the most powerful media platform the world has ever known?
For years, the idea of such regulation was a
non-starter—and for two good reasons. First, unlike the airwaves that carry
broadcast TV, the Internet is a big, open place with room for everyone to
express themselves.
Second, the government is notoriously bad at technology
(recall the roll-out of Healthcare.gov). This means attempts to regulate
Facebook and other online platforms mig…

ROBOT FARMERS HAVE SUCCESSFULLY PLANTED AND HARVESTED
BARLEY BY THEMSELVES
By Dyllan Furness — Posted on September 25, 2017 1:33 pm
Robot-ran farms have the potential to increase efficiency
in the agriculture industry.
Humans have been cultivating plants for some 10,000 years
and, for much of that time, we’ve used beasts of burden to help tend the
fields. Just last century, humans turned from animal strength to machine power,
leading to huge leaps in agricultural efficiency and scale. Over the past few
years, farms have deployed emerging technologies like drones and autonomous
driving systems to make the farmers’ job even less strenuous — but human hands
were still needed throughout the process.
Now, researchers at Harper Adams University and
agricultural company Precision Decisions have removed humans from the farm
entirely in a project called Hands Free Hectare. From planting to tending and
harvesting, no human stepped foot on the acre and a half barley farm in rural
England. It wa…

After London Bans Uber, New York Weighs Limits to Help
Cabbies
Council may study ride-sharing impact on taxi medallion
values
Cab owners say they’re in dire straits and need city’s
rescue
By Henry Goldman September 25, 2017, 1:02 PM PDT
A week after London moved to revoke Uber Technologies
Inc.’s operating license, the company and its electronic ride-hailing
competitors are feeling the heat in New York as city officials consider moves
to regulate and control the industry.
The City Council on Monday was considering a six-month
study of Uber’s impact on the traditional yellow cab business, where the value
of medallions -- licenses to operate taxis -- has dropped by 90 percent in the
past four years. Medallion owners and some council members say the city
shouldn’t have allowed companies like Uber and Lyft to operate in New York
without applying the same fees and regulations.
The taxi owners are pushing for officials to rescue their
industry. They are emboldened by London’s move to ban U…

Natalya Kaspersky's Snoop-Proof Phone Helps Putin Thwart
Spies
Taiga smartphone prevents spying by apps such as Google
Designer InfoWatch bets on demand from companies, agencies
By Ilya Khrennikov September 25, 2017, 2:02 AM PDT
A Russian security company run by Kaspersky Lab’s
co-founder is introducing a smartphone that prevents Google and other apps from
snooping on users, seeking to capitalize on the country’s tensions with the
U.S.
The Taiga phone, designed by Moscow-based InfoWatch Group
and named after desolated forests in Siberia, runs its own Android-based
firmware that lets apps run on the device but stops them from collecting data.
The phone also has a built-in agent that gives the administrator -- such as a
corporate IT department -- control over what apps will work on the device and
what content the user can access or share.
“Most smartphone apps collect certain data on users and
send it to outside servers,” said Natalya Kaspersky, head of InfoWatch. “When
people use …

Drop test confirms Apple totally lied about the glass
back on the iPhone 8
Zach Epstein September 25th, 2017 at 9:18 AM
When Apple unveiled the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and
iPhone X during its big September press conference a couple of weeks ago, the
company said the glass backs on the phones is the strongest glass ever to be used
on a smartphone. There’s no reason to beat around the bush: that was a lie.
Apple has been known to bend and stretch the truth from time to time, and the
company’s executives are nothing if not dramatic while unveiling new products.
But the claim that the glass back on the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X
is the strongest ever isn’t just dramatic, it’s disingenuous. Don’t believe us?
Let’s check out a brand new test that utilized a professional drop test
machine.
The glass backs on Apple’s new 2017 iPhone lineup might
be really strong. They might even have a copper-infused layer like Apple said
on stage earlier this month. But the claim that these phon…

Will Mark Zuckerberg ‘Like’ This Column?
Mark Zuckerberg may be learning what it’s like to be Dr.
Frankenstein.
By Maureen Dowd SEPT. 23, 2017
WASHINGTON — The idea of Mark Zuckerberg running for
president was always sort of scary.
But now it’s really scary, given what we’ve discovered
about the power of his little invention to warp democracy.
All these years, the 33-year-old founder of Facebook has
been dismissive of the idea that social media and A.I. could be used for global
domination — or even that they should be regulated.
Days after Donald Trump pulled out his disorienting win,
Zuckerberg told a tech conference that the contention that fake news had
influenced the election was “a pretty crazy idea,” showing a “profound lack of
empathy” toward Trump voters.
But all the while, the company was piling up the rubles
and turning a blind eye as the Kremlin’s cyber hit men weaponized anti-Hillary
bots on Facebook to sway the U.S. election. Russian agents also used Facebook
and Twitte…

Manufacturers in China ‘ill-prepared for Industry 4.0’
says McKinsey report
Despite being the ‘world’s factory’, its manufacturing
productivity is still only a quarter of developed countries
By Wendy Wu PUBLISHED: Monday, 24 April, 2017, 9:02am
Chinese manufacturers are not well prepared to brace for
the coming wave of digitalisation to narrow the gap with advanced economies,
McKinsey & Company suggest in a report.
McKinsey sent the warning when it launched a Digital
Capability Centre at Tsinghua University, the fifth it has set up after ones in
the United States, Germany, Italy and Singapore, to facilitate the application
of smart production and digital operation to reshape manufacturing.
As the world’s factory, China produced 70 per cent of
mobile phones, 80 per cent of air conditioners and 91 per cent of personal
computers, but its manufacturing productivity was still only a quarter of
developed countries.
Aiming to transfer the country from a manufacturing
workshop to a leadi…

The Not-So-Glossy Future of Magazines
By SYDNEY EMBER and MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM SEPT. 23, 2017
One evening in mid-September, a gaggle of writers and bon
vivant editors gathered by the outdoor fireplace and ivy-covered trellis of a
West Village tavern. Steak was served, and the toasts lasted late into the
night, the revelry trickling out to the nearby sidewalk.
It could have been a scene from the Jazz Age heyday of
the Manhattan magazine set — or even the 1990s, when glossy monthlies still
soaked up millions of dollars in advertising revenue, and editors in
chauffeured town cars told the nation what to wear, what to watch and who to
read.
This night, however, had an elegiac tinge. The staff of
Vanity Fair was saluting the magazine’s longtime editor, Graydon Carter, who
had announced that he was departing after a 25-year run. In the back garden of
Mr. Carter’s restaurant, the Waverly Inn, star writers like James Wolcott and
Marie Brenner spoke of their gratitude and grief.
Mr. Carter has…

Chinese robot dentist is first to fit implants in
patient’s mouth without any human involvement
Successful procedure raises hopes technology could avoid
problems caused by human error and help overcome shortage of qualified dentists
PUBLISHED: Thursday, 21 September, 2017, 6:30pm UPDATED :
Friday, 22 September, 2017, 9:43pm
A robot dentist has carried out the first successful
autonomous implant surgery by fitting two new teeth into a woman’s mouth,
mainland media has reported.
Although there were human medical staff present during
the operation, they did not play an active role while it was being carried out.
The one-hour procedure took place in Xian, Shaanxi, on
Saturday, according to Science and Technology Daily.
The implants were fitted to within a margin of error of
0.2-0.3mm, reaching the required standard for this kind of operation, experts
said.
The technology was designed to overcome mainland China’s
shortage of qualified dentists and frequent surgical errors.
It was develope…